Remote Control of Moving Object Spacing by Production Step
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Solution Overview
Problem
In manufacturing processes, the inter-vehicle distance between automatically controlled vehicles or moving objects is often not optimally set, leading to increased production time or interference during production steps, as it may be either too long or too short for the specific work requirements.
Innovation Solution
A remote control device that acquires production step information to adjust the target distance between moving objects, using control signals to manage the distance by controlling acceleration and deceleration, ensuring the actual distance is appropriate for the current production step, and adjusting to standard or next target distances based on production step completion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the inter-vehicle distance is increased to allow worker access between vehicles, then worker safety and work area are improved, but production time increases due to longer travel distances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the inter-vehicle distance adjustable rather than fixed. The control device dynamically changes the distance between vehicles based on the production step being performed. During steps requiring worker access, the distance is increased to a safe level. During movement or non-access steps, the distance is reduced to minimize travel time. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining safety distance and minimizing production time.
2Productivity
If the inter-vehicle distance is decreased to reduce production time, then productivity improves, but worker safety and work area accessibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the inter-vehicle distance based on real-time production requirements. When worker access is needed, the distance is increased to ensure safety. When vehicles are moving between work sites or during automated steps, the distance is decreased to improve productivity. This time-based dynamic adjustment allows the system to optimize both safety and productivity at different moments in the production cycle.
3Device complexity
If a fixed inter-vehicle distance is used for all production steps, then control simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to different production step requirements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control system transitions from a static fixed-distance approach to a dynamic adaptive approach. The control device receives information about the current production step and automatically adjusts the inter-vehicle distance accordingly. This allows the system to adapt to different production requirements (worker access, movement, automated operations) without requiring complex manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by monitoring the current production step and using this information to adjust the inter-vehicle distance. The control device continuously receives status information about what production step is being performed and automatically modifies the distance setting to match the requirements of that step. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables automatic adaptation while maintaining operational simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A remote control device includes a step information acquisition unit that acquires production step information; a target setting unit that sets a target distance between a front moving object and a rear moving object according to the production step information; a signal generation unit that generates at least one of a front first control signal as a control signal to define the running operation of the front moving object and a rear first control signal as a control signal to define the running operation of the rear moving object so as to set the actual distance between the front moving object and the rear moving object to the target distance; and a transmission unit that transmits the first control signal to the moving object subjected to control of the operation.